NASCIO Annual Conference 2012

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is holding their annual conference in San Diego this year from October 21-24, 2012.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is holding their annual conference in San Diego this year from October 21-24, 2012.

The agenda is packed with many interesting topics, such as an opening keynote by Ken Miller, Founder, Change & Innovation Agency. Here’s how this 90-minute session is described in the program:

“Pinnacle General Session Overhauling the Ship: Extreme Government Makeover

Government is under incredible pressure right now. The economic crisis has hit us with a double whammy: exponential increases in demand and dramatically reduced resources. How have we responded to these new pressures? By trotting out the old ideas. We outsource, upgrade and right-size. The house of government doesn't need another layer of paint or some new carpet -- it needs an extreme makeover. And just like on the show, it needs it done fast! This presentation makes obvious the real problems plaguing government, how you can join the crew and gives you the tools to complete the makeover.”

There are several interesting sessions on topics ranging from multi-jurisdictional collaboration, to health data exchange, to data and analytics to the “choppy seas of outsourcing.”

On the cybersecurity side, there are three sessions that are of special interest to readers of this blog. On Monday afternoon, there is a breakout session on mobile device management. That session is described this way:

“Striving to Protect: Mobile Device Management and Security

Whether the data is in your pocket, on your desktop or in your network, how do you strive to protect the information and manage the devices? … And a new generation of workforce and citizens used to being connected -- anytime, anywhere, all the time - are requiring CIOs to rethink policy and security….”

On Tuesday morning, there is a panel session discussing the results of the cybersecurity survey sent from state governments and U.S. territories. I am participating in this session, and the session is presented with the title and description:

“State Governments at Risk

NASCIO initiated the 2012 cybersecurity study to assist state leaders in understanding the current cybersecurity environments and to provide key insights to aid state leaders in making informed decisions relative to cybersecurity threats, risks, priorities and strategy. Survey questions covered topics across information security governance, budget, use of security technologies, quality of operations and more. This special briefing will be an interactive session covering the aggregated study results.”

Last, but not least, there is an important session entitled:

“Charting the Course: Public Safety Broadband

We have all heard that Congress reallocated the 700-MHz D-Block spectrum to public safety and established the FirstNet Board to create a nationwide public safety broadband network for first responders. Come and hear what the creation of this network can mean to state government and how first responders and others will use the network….”

Other topics include data transparency, redesigning procurement and the explosion in mobile applications.

I think this agenda looks outstanding overall, and the best part is almost always the networking and side-discussions. I know we say this every two years or so, but I think we are at an important crossroad in state government support of technology and security, and I find these annual NASCIO conferences to be “must-attend” events each year.

It is easy to gain “tunnel vision” regarding the activities locally, but NASCIO always provides insights on the national picture. With the election coming up soon after the conference, the conversations always get interesting.

In addition to the topical experts who speak, I like hearing the perspectives from CIOs from around the country. There are always plenty of federal partners in attendance as well who want to talk about various interfaces and systems. Not to be outdone, our vendor partners will be available to brief us on their latest offerings.

Lastly, I will be writing a blog on my thoughts about the national cybersecurity survey as well as observations from several other sessions. I look forward to seeing many of you in San Diego next week.

During his distinguished career, he has served global organizations in the public and private sectors in a variety of executive leadership capacities, receiving numerous national awards including: CSO of the Year, Public Official of the Year and Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader.
Lohrmann led Michigan government’s cybersecurity and technology infrastructure teams from May 2002 to August 2014, including enterprisewide Chief Security Officer (CSO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) roles in Michigan.

He currently serves as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Strategist for Security Mentor Inc. He is leading the development and implementation of Security Mentor’s industry-leading cyber training, consulting and workshops for end users, managers and executives in the public and private sectors. He has advised senior leaders at the White House, National Governors Association (NGA), National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), federal, state and local government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and nonprofit institutions.

He has more than 30 years of experience in the computer industry, beginning his career with the National Security Agency. He worked for three years in England as a senior network engineer for Lockheed Martin (formerly Loral Aerospace) and for four years as a technical director for ManTech International in a US/UK military facility.

Lohrmann is the author of two books: Virtual Integrity: Faithfully Navigating the Brave New Web and BYOD for You: The Guide to Bring Your Own Device to Work. He has been a keynote speaker at global security and technology conferences from South Africa to Dubai and from Washington, D.C., to Moscow.

He holds a master's degree in computer science (CS) from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and a bachelor's degree in CS from Valparaiso University in Indiana.

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Building effective virtual government requires new ideas, innovative thinking and hard work. From cybersecurity to cloud computing to mobile devices, Dan Lohrmann will discuss what’s hot and what works in the world of government technology.